As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an Information Handling System (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, global communications, etc. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Traditionally, input mechanisms for IHS were limited mostly to keyboards and mice. More recently, IHSs have evolved to include new forms of user inputs, such as speech and touch. The use of touch inputs have become increasingly common with the proliferation of smart phones and tables. Touch inputs typically utilize touch sensitive display screens that may receive input from the user in the form of finger gestures or through the use of a stylus. The use of pen devices has become increasingly common, especially as tablets have improved and become adopted for more uses. In addition to functioning as a traditional stylus, modern pen devices may include sensors that capture data that is transmitted to the IHS in order to aid in providing the user with a natural writing experience.
One challenge to the use of such pens as input devices is their ease in getting lost and damaged, similar to traditional writing tools. For IHSs with touch sensitive displays, it is desirable for the IHS to include an ability to safeguard a pen device for use with the display. An IHS has some form of enclosure that encases the electronic components. Certain IHSs with touch-sensitive displays, such as tablets and certain laptops, are enclosed within a hard shell suitable for transport and mobile use. Attaching a pen external to this enclosure leaves the pen susceptible to damage and loss. Pen storage that is integral to the enclosure of the IHS better safeguards the pen. Storage of a pen integral to the enclosure of an IHS is increasingly limited by the continually decreasing thickness of mobile devices.
One aspect of the enclosure of an IHS is the enclosure's ability to facilitate the cooling of the internal components of the IHS. Most notably, the enclosure must allow sufficient airflow that allows the IHS to vent heated air away from the internal electronic components of the IHS, such as the processor. In certain IHSs that are enclosed within a hard case, cooling may be promoted by using structures that elevate the body of the hard case, allowing air to be vented from underneath the IHS.